TestComplete - Data-Driven Testing
Automated tests play back a recorded (or programmed) sequence of user actions that cover a certain area of the tested application. To get larger coverage, you can perform tests with different input data. Suppose, for example, you test an input form of an application. After you have recorded a script, it contains only values that you entered during the recording. Most likely, data you have specified does not cause errors in the application, but other data may cause them. Data-driven testing allows you to test the form with a different set of input values to be sure that the application works as expected.
Data-driven testing means that scripts read data from an external storage site, for example, from a file or database, rather than use values hard-coded in the script. Such a separation makes tests logically simpler. A script containing several sets of hard-coded values can be rather difficult to modify. For instance, if you need more input data, you will have to modify the script code.
Normally, the storages hold both input and verifying data. A data-driven test includes the following operations performed in a loop:
- Retrieving input data from storage.
- Entering data in an application form.
- Verifying the results.
- Continuing with the next set of input data.
TestComplete includes a number of features to perform these steps. You can select the functionality that best suits your needs.
It is convenient to keep data for tests in special storages that support sequential access to a set of data, for example, script arrays, text files, database tables, Excel sheets, and so on. You can access data in these storages using scripting objects provided by TestComplete. To make the access even easier, TestComplete includes special features for extracting data from CSV (comma-separated values) files, database tables and Excel sheets.
To enter data into application forms and controls, you can either simulate keystrokes, or store data to a property of the desired form or control. The way you simulate the input depends on many factors. For example, it depends on whether your application is compiled as an Open Application.
The easiest way to check whether your test actions were performed successfully is to store the check value along with the set of input data and then compare the output with these values. If the output is an image or a file, you can use TestComplete’s features to compare the images or the files' and object properties.
For more information on TestComplete and other Quality Assurance products from AutomatedQA, write to us at
sales@automatedqa.com.